Only recently, I've gotten into racing. Tomorrow (you racing guys from SEQ probably know), there's a road race in Elimbah that I will be competing in. Before this, I've only raced twice, once in D grade (got a place), and once in C (able to hang on till the end) in crits. This will be my 3rd race (1st road race) tomorrow (C grade 60km).

I went riding with some guys today, they were fast. And I had to push myself very hard to keep up. So the "health" question is, what would you recommend that I do for a rapid recovery; ie. contrast water? stretching? anything else? And what nutrition (ie. carbs for dinner? protein? fruit/veges?) should I be considering for today and during the race (ie. protein or carb bars? electrolytes?)?

Then I will again have my fourth race on Sunday, a crit race. So I will somehow need to recover from tomorrow quickly as well. With your advices, shall I employ that for both days?

Funny thing is that article said 'its only ok if you train hard..' BUT if you go to Kenya, have a look around. You can only tell the fast runners from the school teachers by looking at what clothing they are wearing ie: they are all slim if they eat the high sugar, low fat Kenyan diet.

So to answer your question 100%. Focus on eating at least 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day and 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. I use 4-5 dates OR organic sugar (AT) around 60g per bidon, per hour. Try and leave 2hours between your last meal and the start of any race under 1hour. This lets your body digest the food so blood is not sitting in the stomach when it could be in the legs. Drink enough water your urine is clear vs straw and at least 10 times urination per day and a few times a night. Pro's Ive talked to just have a pee bottle to save getting up. The orange tree at my place sure is growing stronger each morning.

I rode over 6190km in Jan on Strava. Ive been a vegan since 2001. Don't drink tea, coffee or take any protein powders. Carbs are vital for performance and they are vital as a staple in a diet to keep trim and healthy.

Give me the best rider in the world, put em on a low carb diet and I will crush em on any climb over a minute.

Who is online

About the Australian Cycling Forums

The largest cycling discussion forum in Australia for all things bike; from new riders to seasoned bike nuts, the Australian Cycling Forums are a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.